Thursday, May 16, 2013

Adiantum pedatum, my favorite plant in the garden (this week)...

During one of my many plant purging digs (our fist summer here) I uncovered a tiny graceful black stem with the brightest of chartreuse leaves. It had been buried under an over grown mass of “those ferns” (code for I have no idea what they are but see them in a lot of old gardens) and was just barely alive. At the time I had no idea of its name but I know it now as Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum), since that day it has grown into a delicate powerhouse of a plant.

I like how it acts as a compliment to the larger hosta leaves nearby.

The stats:

Hardy in zones 3-8

Eventually reaches a size of 1-2.5 ft tall x 1-1.5 ft wide

Likes part shade to full shade and will tolerate dense shade

Deciduous

Here’s an interesting picture of the single one of “those ferns” that I left in place. I cut it completely back each spring so the new growth can shine, I don’t remember ever seeing it form such a cone shape...

Since I’m combining this “fav plant of the week” post with Pam’s monthly Foliage Follow-up it's only right to add a second plant (and in fact I originally planned to feature this one, but then got distracted by the fern) I give you Equisetum hyemale (Horsetail rush)...

It’s pushing out a ton of fat new growth right now and just looks fabulous, although I couldn't get a great picture no matter how hard I tried.

Maidenhair fern is such a beautiful plant! It looks so delicate, almost like something that could only be grown in a greenhouse by a very dedicated plant geek. Horsetail rush is also a favorite of mine. Hooray for fabulous foliage!

There are so many great ferns that grow well in Portland, it's so hard to pick just one favorite. The other little Maidenhair ferns like Adiantum hispidulum (Rosy Maidenhair Fern) and Adiantum venustum (Himalayan Maidenhair Fern) are also good Portland growers, but don't get as tall as Adiantum pedatum.

Sword fern! Yes, thank you Julie. I have childhood memories of my mom digging sword ferns when we were camping. She'd haul them back to Spokane and they'd struggle on, never quite looking as good as they did in the wild.

Wow, that maidenhair fern is a beauty! Great shape! I left 'one of those ferns' in at the new house. They were everywhere. You did get a lovely conical center to it, though! The horsetail rush has great color! I had not seen it up close before. Cheers, Jenni